Selasa, 10 Juli 2012

Punctuation
marks are essential when you are writing. They show the reader where sentences
start and finish and if they are used properly they make your writing easy to
understand.

Punctuation does have other uses,
however, because much writing is never meant to be read aloud. Punctuation is
used to organize the structure of written words, to separate parts of a
sentence such as conversations, direct quotes and lists. As with all other
aspects of English, punctuation has its rules and exceptions. There are even
situations in which the correct answer could be, "It depends on what you
mean."

Most people realize the
importance of accurate punctuation. In order to communicate effectively
through the medium of print (whether on the page or screen), it is essential
that the rudiments of punctuation are understood and applied - routinely and
consistently. Unfortunately, too many people lack confidence in their
ability to punctuate precisely and with clarity.

2.
Discussion

In this section gives practical guidance on how to
use commas, semicolons, and other types of punctuation correctly, so that your
writing will always be clear and effective.There are many kinds of punctuation. Some of
them can do many things.

- A capital letter begins the first, last, and any important word in the
title of a book, magazine, song, movie, poem, or other work. (mengawali setiap awal kata pada judul bacaan)

Example : She saw Snow White
when she was seven years old.

2)Period
or full stop [.]

- A
perod is used to end a sentence. It shows when an idea is finished. (tanda titik berfungsi untuk mengakhiri sebuah kalimat)

Example
: I read the magazine.

- A period is
used to show that a word has been made shorter. A word that is made shorter
with a period is called an abbreviation. (mempersingkat kata)

example: The
words doctor, mister, and mistress are often made shorter
when used with a name. "Dr. Smith" is the name of a doctor whose last
name is Smith, and "Mr. Benjamin" and "Mrs. Delacross" are
common ways of writing "Mister Benjamin" and "Mistress Delacross".

3)Commas

Commas are probably the most widely used punctuation mark.
However, they are not always used correctly. The easiest tip to figure out when
the best time to place a comma is whenever the reader should pause or take a
breath in the middle of a sentence. Anytime a coordinating conjunction is used
(and, but, yet, etc.), then a comma should also be used. Transition words
should be followed by commas. When dialogue is expressed to a particular person
or group of people, a comma should separate that object from the rest of the
sentence. A common example is shown below.

- Use a comma to show a pause in a sentence. (tanda koma berfungsi sebagai jeda dlm sebuah kalimat)

Example : Therefore, we
should write a letter to our principal.

- Use a comma with quotation marks to show what someone
has said directly. (gunakankomadengan tandakutip untukmenunjukkan apaseseorang mengatakansecara langsung)

Example : "I can come today," she said, "but not tomorrow."

- Use commas for listing three or more different things. (Gunakan komauntuk menulis daftartiga atau lebihhal yang berbeda)

- Question
marks are used when writing a question, to make an inquiry, or to ask
something. (Tanda tanyadigunakan ketikamenulissebuah pertanyaan,untuk membuatpenyelidikan, atau untukmenanyakan sesuatu)

For example: "Hallie, have you
done your homework?"

"Elizabeth
said 'How are you?' to Hallie."

"Why is the oval egg?"

5)Exclamation mark [!]

- An exclamation mark is used write about a strong
emotion, or to write the words a person shouted. It can be used to make a
statement stronger or more forceful.

Example : The building is on fire!

"well done!"

- An exclamation mark can be used with a question mark,
to make a question more forceful.

Example : "'What did you do that for?!' she said angrily."

6) Colon [:]

- Use a colon
to introduce a list of things. (Gunakantanda titik duauntukmemperkenalkandaftar hal-hal)

Example : There are three positions in hockey: goalie, defences, and forward.

7)Semicolon [;]

- A semicolon is used to connect two sentences, in one
sentence, where a comma could also be used. (titik komadigunakan untukmenghubungkan duakalimat, dalam satu kalimat, di manakomajuga dapat digunakan)

example: I could tell that it was getting
late; it was growing darker by the second.

Example :The three
most beautiful beaches in Jogjakarta are Baron; Kukup;
and Goa cemara beach.

8) Apostrophe [']

ApostrophesApostrophes are perhaps the most confusing
of all punctuation marks. They have a number of uses: Showing possession Singular
Plural Joint Indicating omissions Forming some plurals Some of the uses
seem contradictory; that’s why they are confusing.

-Use an
apostrophe to show ownership of something. (tanda kutip digunakan untukmenunjukkan kepemilikandari sesuatu) Example : This
is David's computer. These are the player's things. (things
that belong to the player) - Pluralswords
referring to more than one thing) do not need an apostrophe.(kata-katabentuk jamakmerujuk padalebih darisatu hal) tidak perlu apostrof)

For example: "Apples for
sale," not "Apple's for sale."

- Use an
apostrophe to show letters that have been left out of a word. (tanda kutip digunakan untuk menunjukkanhurufyang telahditinggalkandari sebuah kata.) Example :I don't
know how to fix it.

9)Quotation Marks ["]

-Quotation marks shows what someone has said directly. They are
used in pairs. In these cases, quotation marks go after the commas and periods,
not before. (tanda kutipmenunjukkan perkataan orang secara langsung). Tanda petik digunakanberpasangan dan penggunaanya setelah koma).

Example
: The candidate
said, "We will win the election.""I can come today," she said, "but
not tomorrow

-Quotation
marks are also used in some other cases besides direct speech, for example
around the name of a song. In these cases, the commas can come after the quote
marks.

Example: "After recording "Beat It", Michael Jackson went on
to record several more hits."

10) Dash [-]

-Use a dash
before a phrase that summarizes the idea of a sentence. (tanda hubungdigunakan sebelumsebuah fraseyang merangkumidekalimat)

Example : Mild, wet, and cloudy - these are the
characteristics of weather in Jogjakarta.

- Use a dash
before and after a phrase or list that adds extra information in the middle of a sentence. (Gunakan hubungsebelum dansetelahfraseatau daftaryang menambahkaninformasi tambahandi tengahkalimat)

Example : The children - Alfa, Kaisha, and
Alya - went to the bookstore. - Use a dash
to show that someone has been interrupted when speaking. (tanda hubung digunakanuntuk menunjukkan bahwaseseorang telahterputus ketikaberbicara.)

Example : The woman said, "I want to ask -
" when the earthquake began to shake the earth.

11)Hyphen [-]

·Use a hyphen
to join two words that form one idea together. (berfungsi untuk menggabungkan dua katayang membentuksatu idebersama-sama)

Example : sweet-smelling
fire-resistant

·Use a hyphen
to join prefixes to words. (untuk menggabungkanprefikskata-kata)

·It is used
to show where words have been missed out when writing what a person said. It can
also be used to show that there is more to be said but the person stopped at
that point.

For example:

... one day all Americans will live
peacefully throughout the world ... they will be at peace with all other world
inhabitants ...

So much more could be said ...

3. Summary

Punctuation is the name
for marks used in writing. These marks help with understanding. There are many
kinds of punctuation. Some of them can do many things. These are some common
punctuation marks used in English: